Notts County vs Rochdale - Match Preview

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Nathan Stanton could be missing from action tonight after picking up a head injury against Aldershot on Saturday.

Rochdale are hoping to record three straight wins for the first time this season and boost their League Two play-off credentials when they visit Notts County tonight (Tuesday 28 October, 7.45pm kick off).

Dale may have to do so without Nathan Stanton, who had to have several stitches to treat a cut to his head sustained in the last minute of Saturday's 3-1 win over Aldershot.

Stanton was named man-of-the-match in that game, so Dale boss Keith Hill will be hoping that the defender can make it through to start tonight. If not Marcus Holness will be the likely replacement after he replaced Stanton on Saturday and also at Morecambe earlier this month when Stanton picked up another knock.

The manager has a much happier problem to solve on the wings, where he has been rotating Adam Rundle, Joe Thompson and Will Buckley of late. All three found the net in Saturday's win, leaving Hill with a pleasant selection headache going into the Notts County game. It is hard to say which two out of the three will start, but Thompson may be due a rest after starting Dale's last three games.

The game marks the first of four tough away fixtures for Hill's men. After tonight's game, Dale face a long journey to high flyers Brentford on Saturday before returning north for Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie at League One leaders Scunthorpe. Dale may be getting travel sick by the time they journey back down to the Capital the following Saturday for the first round of the FA Cup against Barnet.

Hill has admitted that it will be a tough test of his side's newfound confidence but he is travelling to Meadow Lane tonight expecting to bring back the three points.

To do so Dale will have to end County's ten match unbeaten home record, a run that started when they beat Dale back in March thanks to Michael Johnson's solitary strike. Johnson will miss tonight's game however after suffering a re-occurence of a toe injury in County's 3-1 defeat at Chesterfield at the weekend.